(Professor Name)
Importance of Eating Locally
Locavore- the most recent and innovative term derived in food industry for the people who likes to eat locally or eating something grown locally and has not traveled much from farm to their table. The idea of environmentalist, Bill Mckibben where he consider that locally grown food apart from tasting better and being better is also a mean of coping with climate changes, is fully justified considering the current trend in eateries and people’s preference for locally grown food. Talking of US Market only, the number of farmers market have increased by 54% during the period of 2008 and 2011. Moreover, the restaurants menus are now listing dishes made with locally grown vegetables, meat and fruits and are among favorites cuisines for the customers. Also, the super markets and big stores with separate section of locally grown foods are sprouting. Thus, eating a locally grown food is important not only for the heathy and better taste but also some other benefits relating to environmental changes.
Food grown locally can be more fresh, enrich with high nutrients and natural flavors as compared to food shipped from far flung areas. Considering the freshness and non-polluted quality of the locally grown food is the most important factor as why people now prefer to eat locally grown food. This is because the farmers who targets local area customers have priority over peak freshness, high nutritional value, low or negligible pesticide use and taste whilst the big producers focus on production numbers, packaging, shipping and neglect the core nutrient value of vegetable or fruit. Also eating locally promotes seasonality among eating habits which goes in harmony with natural energy, which is also an important consideration for quality conscious people.
Further, even if we talk of major portion of society, they are going with what they are offered in supermarkets and not just what they want to eat. The people are now confronted and adjusted to limited choice of foods. Most of the restaurants and eatiries, produce food items on the objective of mass production, artificial and cosmetic taste, which are causing negative consequences to the natural environment and civil society. Now is the time of change, people are prefering locally grown foods as this gives them choice of real natural and authentic food choices without any illusion of diversity. By eating local, food buyers can get the food which they want in their kitchens not just what is being offered in supermarkets. Locally grown food is authentically different and moroever these are grown in harmony with natural growing patterns that do not cause any ecological and social consequence.
Apart from being a healthy, nutritious and better food alternative, local foods also help in coping up with climatic changes and contributing towards a sustainable environment because since it travels less, it is less prone to pollutant contamination and also locally grown food helps in saving farmlands. The recent research indicates that food labeled ‘’Fresh’’ in supermarket shelf travels 1500 miles on an average from the farm to the point of final purchase. Thus, eating local foods which comes around just a few kilometres away from your home will be less contaminated because of reduction in transportation time. This is because transportation causes air pollution and with vehicles emmitting carbon dioixde and greenhouses gases the food in transportation is likely to get contaminated. Also, fuels used for transportation are non-renewable fossil fuels, thus eating local can not only provide assurance that food is less contaminated but it is also a contribution towards environmental sustainability in favor of less reliance on non-renewable energy and less polluted food.
Also, In reference to decreasing farm land acreage to support the growing global population, around 1 million acres of farmland in US are lost to support residential and commercial development. Though, the total farmland area of US Economy is 950 million acres, but an acre lost today for any reason is a lifetime loss for food production. Land itself is the primary source of survival for humans. With increasing deforestation and continued surrender of farmlands for civil development, the area under food production has been decreasing.However, Eating local creates creative opportunities for farmers to withstand against developemntal pressures to surrender their land. When people pay full and good amount of money to the farmers for procuring locally produced food, they care for their land and for them farms turn out to be desirable place to live and work on. Also eating locally grown food shall allow new residential communities to be built on or near farms in urbanizing areas which could promote the interest of both farmers, people and also a sustainable as well as healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion:
Thus, Although a very new trend in food industry, but eating locally is indeed a serious point of
consideration for people as bunch of fresh,highly nutritious and unprocessed food is better than
just an attractive food packet lying on shelf of supermarket which is processed to create illutive
diversity and also highly contaminated with carbon emmissions.
Bibliography
Ikerd, John. "Eating Local: A Matter of Integrity." Missouri.edu. Missouri, Web. 23 October 2013. <http://web.missouri.edu/ikerdj/papers/Alabama-Eat%20Local.htm>.
Norberg, Helena. "Bringing the Food Economy Home."Localfutures.org. International Society for Ecology and Culture. Web. 23 October 2013. <http://www.localfutures.org/publications/online-articles/bringing-the-food-economy-home>.
"The benefits of eating locally grown food". Consumerreports.org. July 2012. Web. 23 October 2013 . <http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/07/the-benefits-of-eating-locally-grown-food/index.htm>.
